


the ego of late is held sway

by harperuth



Category: Transformers - All Media Types, Transformers Generation One
Genre: Drinking & Talking, Gen, Implied Megatron/Soundwave - Freeform, Implied Megatron/starscream - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-08
Updated: 2020-06-08
Packaged: 2021-03-03 18:40:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,060
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24610195
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/harperuth/pseuds/harperuth
Summary: Starscream sipped his high grade, “Take that ridiculous mask off and have a drink, Soundwave.”Not one of his better opening salvos, but Starscream was tired. His left wing joint had some kind of wrench in it from the week’s earlier raid and Hook had denied his medical request at Megatron’s order. He’d rather get this over with.- - -Fic for Mike, Soundwave and Starscream have a late night chat.
Relationships: Soundwave & Starscream
Comments: 11
Kudos: 102





	the ego of late is held sway

**Author's Note:**

> thank you very much to Mike for donating to Black Visions Collective!!
> 
> title is from 'the fire (remains)' by the dear hunter

Onslaught always left first.

Starscream wasn’t sure if it was the effect of Vortex on the gestalt bond or if he had always been like that, but Onslaught didn’t drink high grade. Scrapper was next, he would drink a cube or two, but always retreated to the medbay with the rest of the Constructicons before long. Motormaster tried his best with just the three of them left, but even Starscream knew that he found Soundwave intimidating, and he would slink off, a pilfered cube or two for his team with him.

Then it was just them.

Starscream studied Soundwave’s face, the mask and visor betraying little to any of their newer recruits.

Starscream and Soundwave had been comrades for far longer than any other Decepticons.

“How are your little pets?” Starscream finally broached the silence, swirling his half-empty cube idly.

“Cassettes: Well,” Soundwave intoned, but Starscream saw the subtlest pulse of optical light behind his visor and smirked, “Starscream: Offers status of trine?”

“Fine,” Starscream sipped his high grade, “Take that ridiculous mask off and have a drink, Soundwave.”

Not one of his better opening salvos, but Starscream was tired. His left wing joint had some kind of wrench in it from the week’s earlier raid and Hook had denied his medical request at Megatron’s order. He’d rather get this over with.

Soundwave watched him carefully. Starscream propped his elbow up on the table and dropped his head into his servo, “I don’t have all day.”

Soundwave watched him a klik longer, then retracted his mask and drank an entire cube in one go. Starscream handed him another.

“Thank you,” Soundwave murmured, harmonics restored to his voice. 

“Don’t mention it,” Starscream wasn’t able to stop the bitterness in his tone. Primus, he _was_ tired.

Command wasn’t all yelling orders and getting slagged every other cycle, whatever Skywarp might mutter when he was angry with Starscream. Starscream and Soundwave slowly slid around the table towards each other as they poked at various requisition lists, operations tasks, and reports. So many reports. Reports from the Air Corp, from Spec Ops, from Cybertron, from Science and Medical and Lower Command and more outposts than Starscream cared to count. All the while, they drank.

“Chaar?” Starscream swiped through the report, “Why do we have an outpost there?”

“Unexplored cave system,” Soundwave frowned, “Just drones, see? Shockwave sent this one.”

“Hmm,” Starscream dispersed another cube, “Did we approve sending those?”

“I think he slipped it into a request for permissions to pursue Elita-1’s team,” Soundwave poked at another datapad, “If he’s citing the right file path up here.”

“Ugh,” Starscream pinched his nasal ridge, “We’re going to have to start triple-checking everything he does again, aren’t we?”

“Unfortunately,” Soundwave sighed and sat back.

Starscream pulled a small bottle from his subspace, uncapping it and pouring a few digits worth in two new cubes, “How are the cassettes?”

“Rumble and Frenzy are starting to chafe at environmental restrictions,” Soundwave admitted, staring at the ultra refined as if it held the secrets to this war, “To say nothing of Laserbeak and Buzzsaw. They miss the air.”

“Who amongst us,” Starscream smiled as much as he was able.

“Ravage is spending increasing amounts of time in vicinity of Ark,” Soundwave admitted, vocalizer nearly subsonic.

“Has the kitten made a _friend_?” Starscream vented, absolutely delighted. His wings twitched before he could stop them and he hid the wince. Soundwave gave him a look that indicated it wasn’t particularly well hidden.

“Several,” Soundwave said dryly, “The Dinobots.”

“Shut up,” Starscream stared at him.

“Statements: Factual,” Soundwave’s public speech patterns without the vocal filters never ceased to make Starscream fall into immediate hysterics.

“Slagger,” Starscream giggled eventually, leaning his shoulder into Soundwave’s, “Did you hear about the Reflectors?”

“They have names,” Soundwave leaned into him slightly, but for Soundwave it was nearly a full collapse.

“Whatever,” Starscream waved a servo at nothing, “They’ve been selling, no slag, UFO pictures to the humans.”

“Pits,” Soundwave leaned a little more, “For human currency?”

“Apparently,” Starscream took a sip of his drink, “What they need the currency for, I’m not entirely sure.”

“Dirge and Dead End have been...seeing each other,” Soundwave offered.

“That’s the most depressing thing I’ve ever heard,” Starscream snorted, “Do they just cry the entire time?”

“Rumors of your own habits are just as complimentary,” Soundwave quipped, “I assure you.”

Starscream rolled his optics, “At least my rumors paint me as more than a living, venting automaton, _Soundwave_.”

“Your trine?” Soundwave hummed.

“Thundercracker’s seeing an Autobot,” Starscream said as quietly as he could, “I don’t know which one. Skywarp is pulling away. He’s fanatical about Megatron, getting worse at listening to anyone else at all. Myself included.”

Soundwave stiffened. Starscream sat up straighter. He kept his optics on the table, “Soundwave…”

Starscream cycled his intake and turned to Soundwave, who stared resolutely at the last report they had been reviewing. Starscream circled his digits around Soundwave’s wrist, “He can’t be the beginning and ending of this, Soundwave. You know that. I know you do.”

“He—” Soundwave’s vents choked.

“The Decepticons are a _Cause_ ,” Starscream said, glyphs tripping over themselves to get out. He was tired. His wing joint hurt. His tanks hurt, the barest coating of energon through his lines while the rest was sent to Shockwave by the ton. He was so _tired_ , “We are not meant to be _slaves_ to a Lord and—and _Master_.”

Soundwave flinched. His mask reengaged. Starscream sighed.

“Starscream: Will be in Lord Megatron’s berth this evening,” Soundwave accused, filters back in place. 

Starscream shrugged, “Perhaps.”

He would do no such thing. Megatron certainly had his allure. Starscream had been in his berth at times, that much was true. It was hard not to fall even a little bit in love with Megatron when he spoke. And if he singled you out? Gave you his _full_ attention? It was intoxicating.

And Starscream had been poisoned before.

But Soundwave rarely listened once he was convinced of something. Starscream was fairly certain that he was convinced that Megatron would never look sideways at him.

Starscream would do anything to make sure that was true. Soundwave deserved better.

“Until next time,” Starscream said softly, tossing back the last dregs of his ultra refined.

Soundwave hesitated at the doorway, turning back enough to stare flatly at Starscream, “Affirmative.”

**Author's Note:**

> come yell at me about robots on twitter [@floralpunkcfb](https://twitter.com/floralpunkcfb)


End file.
